Whether it’s too hot, too cold, or too wet, Brits absolutely love to complain about the weather. We’re extremely talented at it.
But while it might often be a bit drizzly and chilly here, particularly during the winter, we don’t really have it too bad, all things considered.
It’s not like we’re dealing with the sweltering heat of Kuwait City in the Middle East – the world’s hottest city. Here, temperatures reach an unbearable 54°C, birds quite literally fall out of the sky, and they have to have air conditioning on the streets as it’s so hot.
We’re also very fortunate not to be living in the world’s coldest city, where the temperature can be as low as -64°C and frostbite is a constant risk.
This chilly location is Yakutsk in Siberia, Russia, which is built on continuous permafrost, meaning the ground is permanently frozen. If that wasn’t enough, in the winter, the city gets less than four hours of sunlight per day, making visibility incredibly low (less than five metres).
Despite the incredibly challenging living conditions this presents, the city is home to more than 355,000 people, and residents aren’t just surviving there; they’re actually thriving. Here’s how they manage.
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What’s the weather like in Yakutsk?
As we’ve heard, it’s incredibly cold in Yakutsk, with temperatures well below -20°C from November through to February, and a December average of -37°C.
The city’s temperature once even plummeted to a record low of -64.4°C (in February 1891), and in January 2023, the city experienced the coldest weather in two decades at -62.7°C.
In welcome news for locals, though, the weather begins to pick up by April, when the mercury finally rises above 0°C, and in June and July it can be a totally different story, with temperatures in summer reaching as high as 40°C.
The warm season is thought to last from May to September, and the coldest time to visit is January.
Alongside these fatally low temperatures, residents have to deal with ‘ice fog’ that occurs in winter, which occurs when the air is so cold that hot air cannot rise.
How do people cope with the -42°C cold?
Living in the world’s coldest city is a challenge, but those who do live there have adapted.
Obviously, lots and lots of layers of clothing are an absolute must in Yakutsk, but even with all of these, people advise against going out in the most extreme weather conditions. And those that do shouldn’t be out longer than 10 to 20 minutes.
The university warns incoming students that it’s ‘not a good idea to walk out in the streets in winter when the temperature falls below -40°C.’
Kiun B, who has lived in Yakutsk all her life, gives us a glimpse into Yakutian life on TikTok and how she manages to get by in such harsh conditions.
In one clip detailing her morning routine, Kiun shares how she prepares for going outside: thermals to start, then camel wool kneepads and socks to protect her joints and feet, insulated padded trousers, two padded jackets, a scarf, a hat, and traditional mittens and boots that ensure her extremities don’t freeze.
She says that all this means, ‘sometimes, even a quick trip to the grocery store feels like a huge effort’.
According to Kiun, it’s best to drive around the city. But even owning a car is difficult, because during winter people are forced to leave cars running all the time in a heated garage so that the oil and battery don’t freeze over.
You also need to have a certain type of car, with windshields retrofitted with two layers of glass to insulate them and stop them from freezing while you drive. And if you turn your car off at any point, it becomes unusable until spring.
These issues mean many people instead rely on public transport, including buses and a hovercraft, to get across to the other side of the city’s frozen lake.
If you do need to venture out in winter, you’d best hope the bus arrives on time, as Kiun says it’s ‘difficult to breathe’ the freezing air, and she once burst into tears due to the biting cold – but her tears turned into icicles.
You can’t rely on a quick scroll either; using your phone means taking off your gloves, so most Yakutians don’t bother.
Travel YouTubers Matt and Julia shared a closer look at life in Yakutsk in a video from 2023, revealing that it’s ‘dangerous’ to kiss someone when out in the winter weather, and that if skin comes into contact with metal, ’you’re stuck’.
In the video, Matt describes his experience of being in the city, saying: ‘This is absolutely brutal, my nose hairs are frozen. My beard’s frozen, I feel like my bones inside my body are frozen.’
Thankfully, though, homes in Yakutsk are more comfortable. Many apartment blocks have 24-hour central heating to keep residents warm, alongside two or three doors to ensure the heat stays in.
Due to the permafrost, homes in Yakutsk are built on stilts so they don’t sit on the frozen ground. These sorts of supports can only hold so much weight, so you won’t find many incredibly tall buildings in the city.
What does -42°C feel like?
While people in Yakutsk might be going about their daily life in the freezing temperatures, those who have experienced weather like this claim they don’t feel like doing anything.
A Reddit thread on the r/weather forum asked people what -30°C or lower feels like, and people were quick to share their thoughts.
A user known as u/-Fuze said: ‘All motivation for me to go outside is lost.’ While an unnamed person wrote: ‘The thing about that type of cold for me is the way you literally choke on the cold when you go out into it if your mouth and nose aren’t well covered.’
They added: ‘It hurts any exposed skin, you squint your eyes almost closed and you don’t stay outside any longer than you have to.’
Similarly, u/YeslamaDinosar, who claimed to live in Ottawa, Canada, replied: ‘-30°C is interesting, where it gets so cold it hurts to breathe, that’s when you know it’s really cold.
‘When it’s that cold, the wind stings your face and makes you feel like you’ll never be warm again.’
While Yakutsk might be the coldest city, it’s not actually the coldest place in the entire world. This accolade goes to the Eastern Antarctic Plateau in Antarctica, where temperatures can reach as low as -94°C.
This article was first published on April 15, 2024.
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